Temperance Is Self-Restraint-So Beauty and The Hunt Are Actually Family
"Don't even mention 30 billion, I don't even have 30,000." Xuzhao spread his hands, looking completely self-righteous. "All the money I've earned from painting over the years, I haven't kept a single penny; I've exchanged it all for Wish Power."
"Huh?"
"I need to expend my Wish Power to suppress the Beast Molt underground..."
Jingxing was taken aback. "Beast Molt?"
Xuzhao didn't answer immediately. She walked to the window and glanced outside— the Dual-Phase Paradise was still brightly lit even in the dead of night.
"Initially, the Voracity was sealed away by Akivili, Qlipoth, and the three of us. And part of the Voracity is right here." Xuzhao rarely had a serious expression.
"The body of the Aeon is pressed here?" Jingxing found it unbelievable.
"Otherwise, why do you think I chose to be a cartoonist here? The Dual-Phase Paradise may lack some things, but it certainly doesn't lack Wish Power." Xuzhao turned around. "I need to feed it with Wish Power and suppress the pollution it brings. The people here draw, make wishes, and create Imagenae every day—that scattered Wish Power seeps into the ground, and with my money to keep it running, we can barely maintain peace here."
She paused, then added, "So it's not that I can't afford to offend Zhenzhu, it's just that if I leave here, what other way is there to suppress Voracity with my Wish Power? I'm doing this for the sake of this world. So worship me properly."
Jingxing didn't know what expression to make. To be honest, if Xuzhao hadn't added that last sentence, he would have truly respected her. But adding it completely ruined his image.
"Anyway, to be honest, I really don't have any Credits," Xuzhao shrugged. "But after you've done your favor, I can introduce you to a few old friends. If they're willing to put in a good word for you, it'll be more effective than you silently drawing ten Amber Era. You'll definitely be able to easily pay back the 30 billion you owe that little girl with the pointy hat under Machine Head's command."
Jingxing's heart skipped a beat. He dreamed of paying off this debt as soon as possible.
He could have Aeon's old friends promote him—not to mention what kind of old friends the identity of Xuzhao could possibly have.
Reputation is like the wind; it's easy to lift someone up, but if you don't have the strength to stand firm in the wind, the fall will only hurt more.
"No rush." After thinking it through, he said, "I'll come back to borrow that breeze from you once I've developed sufficient painting skills."
Xuzhao nodded in satisfaction. "As expected, Idrila's eye for talent is quite good."
She turned and took an old lantern from the wall. "There's no time like the present. Let's go, I'll take you to see who you're going to deal with later."
Pushing open the door, what greeted my eyes was not a corridor, but a sea of purple.
The lantern's light flickered constantly, making him feel dizzy. Jingxing followed Xuzhao for a long time through the ruins; the vast emptiness around him almost triggered his agoraphobia.
"This place is so eerie," Jingxing couldn't help but remark.
"It's normal for things to be strange," Xuzhao in, putting him at ease. "After all, this place contains the remnants of the Voracity. You should know that this is only a part of it. If Oroboros's true form were here, you would have had all five senses devoured by now."
"The Aeon is truly terrifying," Jingxing thought to himself.
"Hey, hey, hey, you're definitely slandering me, aren't you?" Xuzhao turned to look at him. "I could tell!"
Jingxing simply cleared his mind and followed her instinctively.
After walking for a while, Xuzhao slowed his pace. "Relax your senses, don't be nervous no matter what happens next."
Jingxing hesitated but did as instructed. The moment he released his senses, he heard whispers, and tiny specks of light began to seep from the cracks in the ruins, twining around his fingertips before flowing into the ground.
This is the omnipresent Wish Power in the Dual-Phase Paradise, which, under the guidance of the Xuzhao, suppresses the Voracity Beast Molt, preventing it from wreaking havoc on the human world.
"Did you hear that?" Xuzhao asked.
"I heard you," Jingxing replied in a low voice.
"Very good, then follow my instructions," Xuzhao.
"Good."
Finally, the road came to an end. Xuzhao raised the lantern upwards, and Jingxing saw the enormous presence.
It was a translucent shell, as large as a mountain, like a snake's shed skin, coiled in circles, almost filling the entire underground cavity. The shell was covered with fine lines that seemed to be slowly wriggling, as if they could poke out at any moment. It gave him a creepy feeling.
Countless points of light seeped from the fingertips, converging into thin streams that clung to the Beast Molt, weaving a luminous net.
"Come on, do as I say." Xuzhao stood beside him, holding a lantern. "Tonight, let's teach it what it means to know when to stop."
Jingxing clenched his fists, his heart pounding. He had only exchanged a few simple blows with Yunli recently, and now he was about to face the remains of the Aeon. The leap was simply too great.
"First, release the Path Energy stored in your body." Xuzhao stepped back two steps. "Then, release your authority, let the Imaginary Energy condense at your fingertips, and adjust it to the 'Temperance' we need."
Jingxing took a deep breath and did as she said. This was the first time he had truly opened his mind. As the Imaginary Energy flowed into his body, he felt as if he had been swept into a great river, and could only drift with the current.
Imaginary Energy surged throughout his body, then rushed towards his fingertips.
In a daze, Jingxing felt as if he were standing in front of a blank canvas, and the Path Energy had become paint that could be poured onto it at will.
Previously, when he used the Path Energy, it was as if he was limiting himself to using only the paint on the tip of a brush. But now, for a moment, Jingxing felt as if the whole world could fall onto the tip of his brush.
He picked up his pen and began to draw on the blank space before him.
"True Temperance is an inner, outward expression of self-affirmation," Xuzhao's voice rang out. "Therefore, you don't need to eliminate the desire; simply controlling it is enough."
"I understand." Jingxing Xing responded, abandoning his attempt to define the boundaries of the Beast Molt using the outlined Path Energy.
"You don't need to fight against the Beast Molt," Xuzhao continued. "Temperance doesn't require violence. Besides, humans can't fight against the Aeon."
Jingxing began to try to use his own energy to neutralize the pollution emitted by the Beast Molt.
Just then, a voice suddenly came from the canvas and entered Jingxing's mind.
It was very light and gentle, the tone almost indistinguishable from that of Robin: "You paint so beautifully, but you have many landscapes you want to paint, right? Then stay here and paint slowly—as long as you want, until the end of the universe. I will always be with you."
Jingxing paused, his hand holding the pen still.
"Don't listen to it!" Xuzhao's voice was like a bucket of cold water poured over your head, "Don't let Voracity corrupt you!"